Elections!

[mongers]

First results so I've always wondered, Tyr, do you know why Sunderland is always the first to report? Is it like a badge of local pride or something?

Even when they cut to Sunderland South during a general election there's always council workers running with the ballot boxes to get counting

Those two first results are very good for UKIP and seems to tally with the theory that they could do well in traditional Labour areas of the North. Safe Labour areas of Sunderland - LAB - 47.8% UKIP - 30.1% CON - 14.3% GRN - 4.8% LDEM - 3.1% and no percentages but in St. Anne's 1022 votes for Labour, UKIP second with 702.

Edit: I just read an article. Apparently Sunderland use lighter ballot papers and rope in sixth formers to run in the boxes during a general election. All to count the quickest. Why?

Shelf, we Brits love creating odd local traditional games, don't we. 

[Eddie Teach]

Why do people vote Republican?

They don't want the gub'mint taking away their guns or money. Duh.

[Agelastus]

I'd be surprised at a record turnout around here simply because it rained heavily (including thunder and lightning) for several hours in the afternoon.

Broke ranks with the Tories for the first time ever (voting UKIP.) Terrible ballot paper - even without the shades of the LITeral Democrats fiasco (the first party on the ballot used "an Independence from Europe" slogan-type party name with absolutely terrible grammar whereas UKIP was nearly at the bottom of the ballot) there were too many candidates; it took me three goes to get it in the ballot box! .

You should at least have to put up a full slate of five (or appropriate number depending on your region) candidates in this sort of election.

Sheilbh, do you have the swing for that result you've posted?

[Sheilbh]

Looking like an enjoyably catastrophic night for the Lib Dems - Vince Cable, their more lefty deputy leader, has been very poised in his support for Nick Clegg. The Tories aren't doing well and their Eurosceptics are already out on manoeuvres

Labour's doing badly and playing down their expectations. Seems UKIP's doing well in the North and playing havoc with their vote elsewhere - such as Swindon and Portsmouth.

UKIP so far are doing well without winning many seats so far. There's 4000 council seats up for election. But they have beaten the Labour Lord Mayor of Hull whose response was 'I can't complain - I've had a good run over 26 years.'

[Sheilbh]

Sheilbh, do you have the swing for that result you've posted?

Sunderland? The Labour vote is lower than it was in 2010. Popular vote so far in Sunderland is, I think:
Lab 48%
Con 24%
UKIP 22%
Green 3%
LD 3%
That was a 16% swing from Labour to UKIP.

Edit: And, I think, the Tories basically flatlined and the Lib Dems collapsed.

Mike Hancock's lost the seat he was running for in Portsmouth to UKIP

[Sheilbh]

Shelf, we Brits love creating odd local traditional games, don't we. 

Is it a game if you're the only one playing?

[Agelastus]

Interesting.

Before that result I hadn't really believed the pundits who were saying that UKIP was attracting left wing votes; it seemed so odd given many of their other policies. The headline ones (Immigration, Europe, Defence, Foreign Aid) may cross party lines but as I think you pointed out the rest of their policies are more Libertarian than anything else.

Oh, and that should be "former" Lord Mayor of Hull, Sheilbh (he's not the current one.) Although given his name is David Gemmell maybe we'll have a Drus or a Waylander riding to his aid...

[Valmy]

Why does everybody vote for the most insane parties to the EU parliament?  Does the EU Parliament not have any actual power or something?

Why do people vote Republican?

Same reason people vote Democrat.  They hate the other party.

But people are not voting these nutty parties to their national parliaments in the same numbers.

[Sheilbh]

UKIP won a couple of seats in Basildon. Here's one that must hurt the Lib Dems:
Ukip: 1156
Labour: 906.
Conservatives: 427
Liberal Democrats: 33

The Lib Dems also lost a seat with a 44% swing to UKIP

But people are not voting these nutty parties to their national parliaments in the same numbers.

Part of that's surely a function of the system though. The UK's got first past the post, I think the French system favours big parties too. But these nutty parties are present in national parliaments in, for example, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Austria, Greece, Ireland etc.

[Agelastus]

UKIP won a couple of seats in Basildon. Here's one that must hurt the Lib Dems:
Ukip: 1156
Labour: 906.
Conservatives: 427
Liberal Democrats: 33

Ouch.

The Lib Dems also lost a seat with a 44% swing to UKIP

Double Ouch.

And yet I can't feel as happy about this as I would have done five years ago had the same thing occurred  given the probable main reason the LibDem's are hemorrhaging support.

[Agelastus]

Oh bloody hell. I've just been browsing through the minor parties that fielded candidates in only one or two regions of the UK and I've discovered that not only is Arthur Scargill still in politics but that he and I are in agreement over something.

I'll be  .

[Sheilbh]

Arthur Scargill's on Twitter. Which is odd.

[Agelastus]

By the way Sheilbh, did you see Jacob Rees-Mogg's performance on Have I Got News For You? I thought it was quite good, even if he did seem to come over as almost a caricature of the urbane aristocrat.

I'm not convinced his idea of a "coupon election" ticket for the Tories is a good idea, however - I think it could backfire badly; not that it'll get anywhere, of course. David Lloyd George is still remembered by the party, after all.

[Sheilbh]

By the way Sheilbh, did you see Jacob Rees-Mogg's performance on Have I Got News For You? I thought it was quite good, even if he did seem to come over as almost a caricature of the urbane aristocrat.

I love Mogg. But he is a caricature. As evidenced by referencing the 1918 election as a model

Having said that it's annoying to see Grant Shapps taking the piss out of him

I'm not convinced his idea of a "coupon election" ticket for the Tories is a good idea, however - I think it could backfire badly; not that it'll get anywhere, of course. David Lloyd George is still remembered by the party, after all.

No, I think it'd be mad. Him, Carswell and Bone coming out for it seems coordinated.

A couple of signs so far that UKIP is consolidating the anti-Labour vote in the North, confirmed by Labour MP Graham Stringer who's also ripped into the Labour leadership: wants an EU referendum and said the campaign was 'unforgivably unprofessional'

[mongers]

By the way Sheilbh, did you see Jacob Rees-Mogg's performance on Have I Got News For You? I thought it was quite good, even if he did seem to come over as almost a caricature of the urbane aristocrat.

I love Mogg. But he is a caricature. As evidenced by referencing the 1918 election as a model

Having said that it's annoying to see Grant Shapps taking the piss out of him

He's as dishonest as Boris is, their intentional self-parody is designed to appeal to their electorates, whilst covering up their real political intelligence and intentions.